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Sunday, April 30, 2017

Gautam and I had met at Badeladaku, 3 years ago. He had stayed there for a month helping Stefan and Yulia who were setting up a computer lab in a small village near Kudligi. I had visited them for three days, to conduct an art workshop for the kids. We had not met since then. Initially, we had planned to revisit the village but when that did not happen, we quickly made this trekking plan. Over call, I mentioned to him that we would be trekking Channarayana Durga. Immediately, he responded by telling me that he knew the place very well as his brother in law hailed from the same place. He had apparently climbed up till the temple at the summit. In the blogs that I had read previously, there was no mention of an active temple at the peak. A day later, he called me saying that he had arranged for lunch at the Ragavendra swamy mutt that is situated midway. I was a bit surprised that how the bloggers could have forgotten to mention such a detail but seeing that Gautam knew it well, I did not bother much.

So, on the 29th of April, 2017, Gautam and I drove towards Tumkur. We had a lot of catching up to do after 3 years. We setup his new Go-pro equivalent camera on the car hood and set off. We had a quick stop at Dabaspet for breakfast. Channarayana Durga is situated at Koratagere Taluk of Tumkur District. The easiest route would be to take a right deviation at Dabaspet, towards Madhugiri. I missed the deviation and took a different route.

It was almost when we passed Tumkur that the major miscommunication between Gautam and I got cleared. He kept mentioning a route to the fort via Tumkur and I kept wondering why. He then mentioned how he would always take the route via Tumkur to Devarayana durga. Well, that was the confusion, he had assumed it to be a different fort. We laughed a lot about it. Devarayana durga is a much smaller hill and one could drive all the way up so, trekking Channarayana Durga was more challenging and interesting but we surely missed a good meal at Raghavendra swamy mutt.

There is a small village at the base of the fort and the villagers are more than happy to direct you towards the trail. We parked our car and walked towards the base of the fort. On our way, the villagers directed us to the track in case we missed it.

There are no designated routes. A lady from the village suggested that we walk zig-zag up the boulders and reach a steep climb. We did that. Many previous trekkers have regarded the first stretch as strenuous, specially during the rainy season when the rocks are slippery. We found it to be easy though.

When you reach the top of the big boulder, you shall see some cactus plants to your left. A blue plastic, if it still remains, would be your direction. There awaits another huge rock to climb. On your left you shall see impressive cave like structures cut on the rock.

You can then see some entrances that lead you to the first level of the Fort. On your right, you shall find a small temple in ruins with a pond next to it. They say, gold was found in this fort and people explored the fort to find treasure, so much so that today, it stands in ruins.

Right next to the temple is another entrance covered in bushes, you could take that and enter the second level. Or, you could walk around the temple and the pond to reach the entrance at the far end. But we were misled by another track going left that climbs a steep hill. But we were glad we took that. The path led us to a really nice view point at the base of the highest wall of the fort. You simply cannot climb the wall and enter the fort from this end but it was a beautiful spot to relax.

We got back to the temple. Here, we met two other guys from Bangalore. All four of us trekked via the entrance by the temple. At far end of this arch are the steps that lead you to the final level of the fort.

At the summit, you find yourselves surrounded by the mighty fort walls. The structure is very impressive. We climbed the walls using steps made by sandwiched rocks extending out of walls.

There was a India flag that had fallen off so, one of the guys we had met, wanted to fix it. Climbing up the walls, he and I tried to fix the flag.

After a quick chat at the summit about our different trekking experiences, having this sour fruit; the name of which I do not recollect, we headed back.

We drove to Koratagere and had lunch at Laxmi Bhavan, a restaurant owned by Gautam’s friend’s relatives. After a quick meal and a tasty sweet pan, we drove to Akkiramapura village and visited the Anjanya and Venkateshwara temple.

From here, we took a shortcut that connects to Kyamenahalli. The road passed by fields and brick factories. It was an unpaved road and at times we doubted if we were on the right track.

Anjanaya temple at Kyamenahalli is an ancient temple and the main idol is said to be installed by King Janamejaya, the grand son of Abhimanyu (Pandavas of Mahabharatha).

From here, we drove back directly to Bangalore. It was an amazing trek. The scorching sun made it tiring but the trek itself is not very tough. Do not let the relatively tougher first stretch discourage you from exploring this beautiful fort.

Saturday, April 22, 2017

I was a bit bored to write a travelogue on my recent trek in Kudremukh National park. So, I have decided to turn this experience into a story. This story is partly true and partly fictional. However, the location and the details of the trek are real and can be relied upon for future reference.

"Have we reached already?" Vishal asked as the bus came to a stop at around 4:30 AM. He had been awake all night like an owl. That is what a night shift job would do; it was difficult for him to switch his routine. Chirag who was sitting next to him, woke up and looked around before replying. "No, I think we have another stop to go." The two decided to step down and see where they were. Chirag checked if his friend Chetan who was sleeping in the seat behind them was awake. Finding him sound asleep, the two walked out of the bus. They were at Kottegerah junction, known for its famous Neer dosa stalls (A Mangalore/Malnad special Dosa made of Raw rice and coconut mix batter) all along the main road. On this Haasan- Mangalore route via Mudigere, they were to take a right at this junction to reach Kalasa. The driver and the conductor, along with some passengers were waiting for their dosas. Though the two were not hungry at this early hour of dawn, they enjoyed the way the boy was spreading the batter on to the pan. He was very quick.

After everyone who had to fill their stomach had done so, the journey continued. The next 22 km drive took more than an hour as the bus passed through a ghat section. Vishal who had been awake all night, felt sleepy. This was around the time he would return home from his work. Feeling uneasy by the swaying bus driving on the winding roads, Chirag felt nauseatic and could not go back to sleep. His mind wandered towards the recent events in his life that had lead him to organise this journey.

For a long time Chirag had been trying to find a work-life balance. His work had consumed lot of his life and energy and as he grew older and higher in his career, the murky corporate politics was forcing him to become someone he did not intend to be. He believed that there was always a right way of doing things. But most of them choose one of the several wrong ways considering that it is easy. However, he knew that it would definitely lead to a moral conflict in them if they are built on at least some kind of basic value system. He was certain that one day he would bid a happy farewell to his desk job and return to his hometown to lead a much simpler and peaceful life; at least so he believed it would be. But when would that day arrive? Is it possible at all to escape the materialistic greed of earning more and owning luxury? As one had family and as one got older the needs and expenses would only grow. His thoughts came to a pause as the bus conductor called out for the passengers getting off at Kalasa. They had arrived their first destination. Chirag woke Chetan and Vishal up and they got off the bus.

At 6:30 AM, the small town of Kalasa looked still sleepy.

The homestay that they were to stay at had arranged for a jeep ride from here to the small village of Mullodi. Their driver Manju greeted them with a broad smile and they set off on yet another drive, but this one being more interesting than the previous. They took the road from Kalasa to Mangalore and turned left at Samse. The entire place was covered with mist and it looked amazing. As they drove off the main road, the road winded and turned between coffee plantations that were filled with aromatic coffee blossoms. Vishal had always wanted to see a coffee flower. He requested for a quick stop to capture them in a picture.

Hailing from West Bengal, he was familiar with a tea plantation and thus Coffee plantation was exciting for him. This trip was also a good escape from his mundane life. Every night when others would be returning home from their work, he would have to leave to work after kissing good bye to his dear daughter. He always explained to people that life in a BPO was not as easy as people from the other domain would perceive. Working for an American company, dealing with different moods of different customers was not easy, he would say. He strongly believed that after all, an employee needs to be respected. Many of the Indian companies lacked this basic understanding and thus spent more time recruiting, training and retraining people due to high attrition rates. His honesty had also become a great issue. His manager would constantly remind him to keep his mouth shut and not speak his mind out every time. Honesty, he thought did not work in the Corporate world as everyone was busy pleasing each other. He was fed up of all this, of working in night shifts, of being told how to speak or behave, by the step-motherly treatment by the US Counterparts. These thoughts had been bothering him for a long time now and as soon as Chirag had mentioned about this trek, he wanted to be a part of it to escape the city life. After all, he had not explored South India as much as he should have in these 10 years of his stay in Bangalore.

The last 2 kms of road remained unpaved. Chirag remembered his previous visit to the homestay two years ago when the entire stretch from Samse to the Mullodi house was unpaved. He had then trekked Kudremukh peak during Monsoon. He had absolutely loved the location of this house that stood on a small hill surrounded by mountains of the Kudremukh National Park.

Rajjapa Gowda, their host greeted them and walked them to the newly built room. He had been renovating the house. "Still a lot of work is pending." He said, referring to his ongoing construction in the first floor. The homestay was more designed for the trekkers who flood in starting June and do not stop coming until the end of the year to conquer the Kudremukh peak. From the 1st of January to the 1st of May, the trek to the peak was prohibited due to chances of forest fire. An easy alternate was this trek that they had planned to do - Kallchiki.

Rajjapa had lived in this village all his life. There were about 50 houses in the village and everyone were related to each other. Some other houses too accommodated the trekkers. He lived there with his wife and two daughters. Many other relatives always came over during holidays. His sister and her children were there too. Chirag had clicked some pictures of Rajjapa’s younger daughter and his nephew during his previous visit. He had brought the prints of those to give it to them. They were delighted to see them.

After freshening up, the trio assembled in front of the house for breakfast - Pundi (Steamed Rice-Coconut mix balls), chutney and Sambhaar. It was then that they met the other guests at the homestay. A young couple from Mumbai had arrived the previous evening. Lucky, a Delhiite was studying film making and Raashi, a Kashmiri pundit was studying Fashion designing in the same college. They made a cute pair. There were two more men from Mysore.

Ganesh and his uncle Damodhar were visiting the place for the second time. They kept mentioning about this incident that had happened during their previous visit that apparently, they believe had made them famous. One of their teammates had broken his leg during the climb and had to be taken back to the house. He was given Whisky to subside the pain, until the ride to town was arranged. For some reason, they expected Rajjapa to recollect all this and remember them. But Rajjapa’s memory failed him and he simply heard the story like he was for the first time. The two still continued to claim their celebrity status based on this incident that they failed to understand, was only memorable to them for purely personal reasons.

Vishal was very excited about everything he was seeing and was expressive about it. Since he did not speak the local language, he obviously got noticed easily. Ganesh began to pull his leg and made fun of him. "Why is he dressing up like he is off to see some sexy girl at the peak?" "Where did you bring him from?" "We have named him as Makeup master." He commented sarcastically to Chirag. Chirag clearly disliking their behaviour smiled and walked away from them. Disgusted by their derogatory comments on his friend, he narrated the incidents to Chetan. "How can they judge people whom they have just met?" Chetan asked. They concluded that some people are simply like that. Ignoring them would be the best thing to do.

Two guides were arranged. An old man named Krishnayya accompanied the five men and a young boy named Prakash accompanied the couple who chose to start a bit late. Puliogre was packed for everyone. The trail to the base of the hill was along the approach road. It was a pleasant walk between the farms. All three men were excited about the trek. Vishal, by nature was the most expressive one and was fascinated by the coffee flowers, the surrounding hills and the farms. Rajjapa’s dog accompanied the trekkers. When Chirag asked Krishnayya, the name of the dog, he thought for a moment and said - Kaalla; as if he had just christened the dog right there. Kaalla panted along the way but he always waited for everyone and guided them in the right direction.

Along the way, Ganesh and Damodhar began to discuss Vishal’s age. "He must be 23." Ganesh said. Damodhar, who always had a different opinion disagreed and guessed it to be 25. "Come let us ask him.", they said and checked with Vishal. "You are right." said Vishal to Damodhar and that made him even more proud of himself. Vishal looked at his friends and they shared a smile. They were all in their mid or late thirties but none of them really looked that old.

About 3kms down the trail, Ganesh struggled to climb. Damodhar clarified to the others that he otherwise had great stamina but last night they had drunk a lot of alcohol and he had puked during the drive. They arrived at Kalasa at around 4 AM and then rested till dawn to take the jeep ride to the homestay. The others listened but showed no interest in continuing the discussion. They preferred silence and thus enjoyed the views. Kudremukh peak looked amazing from where they sat.

At the signboard of Shola heights, a home stay, they all rested and waited for Prakash and the couple to join.

During their wait, Krishnayya informed them that Shola heights was an expensive homestay run by foreigners. They had bought a land there and settled. Many foreign tourists, he said, stayed there. Chirag and Chetan were surprised how foreigners were allowed to buy land in India. They wondered which country they belonged to but Krishnayya had no clue. He told them that they could visit the place and ask for a visiting card and look around.

Lucky, Raashi and Prakash arrived. After a short break, the entire group continued their climb. On the way, guide Prakash plucked some Nerale Hannu (Indian blackberry) and distributed them to the group. They also passed by the homestay Shola Heights. Looking at a SUV parked outside the house, Prakash said - "Foreign Sukumara has probably come here today." Chirag and Chetan looked at each other and laughed. So it was a NRI who had returned from perhaps some gulf country to setup a farm there and not really a foreigner.

Prakash talked about his days in the forest department. He would walk alone in the forest and look for tiger paw marks. He had to record them. He said that the pay was unimpressive and moreover in case they spotted a tiger, they had to answer a lot of questions by the authority. "What would you do, if you saw a tiger?" asked Chirag, out of curiosity. "Nothing, we should avoid its path. If it sees a prey, then it only walks in that direction until it catches it. We have to avoid its path." Though the answer was not very satisfying, Chirag refrained from further interrogation. He instead asked if they had enough safety against an encounter. To which, Prakash shook his head and told, "No, Nothing."

Just when they reached a hilly area, a local warned them about a python that, two days ago had swallowed a goat. Considering that the python had had a good meal and would now rest for days, they continued on the track. However, they were a bit scared and became alert while passing by the bushes.

Along the way, they passed by a small forest area. During rainy season the place would have been filled with hundreds of leeches. By a small stream, they took rest. Kaalla sat on the flowing water to avoid the summer heat.

Lucky shot some videos of the sun rays breaking through the gaps between the leaves. Tired, Raashi preferred to relax for a while. When Lucky decided to lit a cigarette, Damodhar stopped him and said that he would be tired climbing if he smoked. He suggested that Lucky wait until they reached the top. Lucky was annoyed and said he always smoked while he climbed and he was okay with it. He did not stop though. Prakash and Krishnayya turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the whole thing. Trekkers were not allowed to smoke, specially in this weather when there exists a threat of forest fire. But they often failed to voice their opinion in front of the rich and confident looking city people whom they often consider to be superior and well informed.

After some rest, the group continued to the peak. The rocky peak of Kallchikki was very impressive.

At the summit, they rested for sometime. The sun was directly above their head and it was terribly hot but pleasant breeze made it bearable. Everyone spoke to each other about where they had come from and what they did and about the treks that they had been on thus far. Damodhar as always wanted to end every topic with his comment which kind of annoyed the others. After sitting there for a while they decided to head back to the forest and have lunch. Taking a last glimpse at the view, they began their descent.

On their way back, Prakash and Krishnnaya wanted to check out a new farm. Chirag and Chetan followed them while the others had already moved ahead. The coffee farm looked impressive with orange trees in between the coffee plants. The two guides looked around with admiration. Prakash quickly climbed a Nerale hannu tree and plucked more berries for the group.

Back in the forest, by the stream, they ate their packed lunch. Vishal complained that the puliogre had just one ground nut in it. Preparing Puliogre without excessive groundnuts is almost like a crime. They also fed Kaalla who was terribly hungry. And also because, they did not find the rice very tasty and feeding the dog was the best way to finish it. After a while, even Kaalla had had enough of it. The rest was left for the crows or other wild animals that might pass by later.

The walk back was easy but the scorching sun made it a bit tiring for them. On the way, the guides caught a small calf and chased the cow and its calf to the owner's house. While they did that, they asked the others to go check out the Shola Heights homestay. While the group entered, the lady of the house directed them back to the main road without even asking why they were there. "This is not the route, please go around." she said. Hearing that everyone went out without asking for the visiting card. Thus, foreign Sukumara’s wife had chased away some probable customers.

Back at the homestay, the men relaxed in the sit out. They slept for a while and in the evening they were served some tasty onion pakodas (Fried snacks) and tea. Ganesh and Damodhar had left back to Mysore by then.

The three men and the young couple headed to Somavati waterfall that was located very close to the house.

The water was cold but rejuvenating. Under the water fall, they felt cleansed; off their worries. Chirag's headache disappeared. Watching the sun go down, they sat there talking. Lucky talked about his college and his first documentary project. They discussed cinema, their favourite directors and inspirations. Chirag thought about his own GenX people who had no option but to listen to their parents and become Engineers. The Millennials on the other hand, he thought, were different. Many seemed to be more experimental and free from parental and societal pressures. "After all, they had more exposure to the world than us due to internet and connectivity.", He thought.

They headed back to the house and sat in the verandah. There was a power shutdown and the entire place blacked out. In the forest, hundreds of glowworms lit up. They seemed to follow a pattern while glowing. On a clear sky, far away from the city lights, thousands of stars glittered. It was a mystical sight with stars in the sky, glowworms in the forest; all sparkling. Rajjapa occasionally stopped by to talk to them. He mentioned about the yearly tiger survey that invites many volunteers and how now a days they had cameras fit in the forest that tracks Tiger movements. He also mentioned about how irresponsible some groups would be who litter in the forest and smoke or drink while they trek. He often finds it difficult to tell them upfront about avoiding such behaviours. The men requested him to put up a sign board with a list of Do’s and Dont’s.

Rajjapa talked about how he had educated his eldest daughter on his own till her fifth grade. She was now studying in a college in Udupi and he wished to continue her education. Living in a village, they had to send their children far away for education.

Lucky asked the three guys if they wanted to smoke some weed. He had rolled it himself. The men who where already in a relaxed state of mind, declined the offer. The couple shared a joint while they all sat under the night sky discussing current affairs and Indian cuisine. After dinner, everyone retired to bed.

Next morning, a mourning sound woke up Chirag and Chetan. They suspected that to be of some kid struggling to sleep due to a nightmare. But the sound continued for a long time. At Dawn, they woke up and walked around the house. Driver Manju had stayed over at Rajjapa’s house. He brought them some much needed tea. Mist had covered the entire valley creating a magical sight.

The couple had to leave early to catch a bus to Mangalore. They had booked a bus to Mumbai from there. While settling the bill they figured out that they were short of Rs 1000. They were not informed in advance that the jeep rate would be extra. They had to now go to Kalasa instead of Samse to find an ATM and that would cost them Rs 300 extra. Looking at the confusion, Chirag offered to pay for them, agreeing to receive an online money transfer on their return. They thanked the men and left.

After the couple had left, the trio headed towards the waterfall again. After a quick refreshing shower under the waterfall, they slept on the rock; silently observing the beauty of the nature. The birds chirped, the leaves fluttered and there was no sound of vehicles, like in the city. It was peaceful out there. They were completely in that moment thinking of nothing else but what was happening, right then, right there. The moment lasted for a few minutes but it was one of the most satisfying experiences of their trip.

They walked back to the house, freshened up and took a walk in Rajjapa’s Coffee farm where the honey bees had conquered the entire farm. The buzz of the bees, hovering over the coffee blossoms created an enchanting music.

They bid farewell to Rajjapa and drove back to Kalasa in Manju's jeep. A bunch of villagers hopped into their jeep to share the ride. A lady with two kids, a man and another family were all headed in the same direction. They all knew Manju. Manju told them that Rajjapa’s sister had been sick all night and she had not let him leave the bedside so he had to sleep over at their place. She feared that she would not make it and thus had invited some relatives to visit her. She had slept holding Manju’s hand all night. Listening to this story, the lady in the jeep began to weep. She brushed away her tears with a handkerchief and enquired more about Rajjapa’s sister’s health.

Back in Kalasa, they waited for an hour for the next bus to Kottegerah cross. The lady and her two kids waited patiently as well. When the bus arrived, they all boarded and took off. The lady and the kids bid farewell to the men at a stop before Kottegerah. They had barely spoken anything to each other, yet the humility in which they behaved towards strangers was genuine and touching. Such emotions were rare to be found in cities. At Kottegerah junction the trio had some tasty neer dosas before catching another bus to Haasan and then another one back to Bangalore. On their way back they reflected upon everything that they had experienced.

Vishal was happy that life was so peaceful in the village. They were happy about the smallest of small things. That morning the kids were so happy playing "Police-Thief" game. Everyone in the village helped one another and there seemed to be less of animosity amongst them. For days he had been thinking of quitting his job and starting a business on his own. He had been contemplating about opening a gym in Bangalore and was looking at investment options. This journey in someway had allowed him to think clearly about it. He decided to go back home and request his uncle to lend him some money. He discussed this with the other two and both encouraged him to pursue his plan.

Chetan who had been mostly silent during the entire trip, had also wanted to escape the busy city life. This trip to the wilderness had strengthen his interest to turn towards spirituality. "We travel far away only to look within." he made a thoughtful comment.

Chirag was touched by how Rajjapa’s family lived a peaceful life with what was available. Of course, they had the desire for the luxury that city life offered and they would always remain curious about it as they would perhaps never experience it. Chirag understood that he had to fulfill all his desires while he was still young. He was not as young as the Millennial couple, but he sure was not old enough to retire. He realised that he had to satisfy his desires and interests while he still could and then return to his hometown. Because, that is when he shall remain unaffected by the materialistic world. To create a peaceful future, he had to have a fulfilling present!

During their journey back to the city, they recollected the images of the coffee flower and memories of its fragrance. One would have imagined the coffee flower to smell like coffee; like a flower of a citrus plant would smell citric. But, the flowers of a coffee plant smelled more like jasmine or even better and then it would turn into a flavour very different. Similarly, these wonderful experiences of life would enrich itself into something more scintillating and satisfying and eventually constitute in building a personality. The men had learnt that, what they wanted to become was in their own hands. To explore oneself, one must travel outside his/her comfort zone. Because one travels faraway to find what lies within.

Friday, April 21, 2017

During the weekend of 8th and 9th of April, I visited my hometown Surathkal. I drove there on Friday the 7th after office. My College friend Shiva joined me. The drive seemed very smooth with our engaging discussion about the current affairs and Gen X mindset and our dilemmas. At Shiradi ghat, the wipers got entangled and one of them stopped working and it was raining very heavily. Thankfully the damaged wiper was that of the passenger side. So, we continued driving. I dropped Shiva off at Kaladka and reached home at half past midnight.

The next day, I spent the entire day, roaming around our farm, watching the trees and plants that have begun bearing fruits. Here are few pictures.

Some of my old paintings brought back good old memories of the days I spent in my uncle's house painting them.

As always, my mother cooked some of my favourite dishes. Poondigatti and Golibaje.

In the evening, I went for a long walk to the beach. As always, that was a satisfying day at home.

Next day, My college friend Kishan came home and after breakfast, we drove to Moodbidri to attend our friends wedding. I was happy to meet some of my friends whom I had not met for several years. Specially my Engineering project team mate Ajeeth, a friend of the groom Viraj and my neighbour Ashfaq. It is always nice to reunite with people from the past. We recollected some of the funny events from our college days.

Kishan, Shiva and I drove back to Bangalore via Charmadi ghat. All through the drive, we discussed current affairs and it was very interesting. At Kottigehara, we had some tasty Neer dosa and Golibaje. Again a smooth drive with great conversations.